Russian strikes kill civilians in Ukraine as ceasefire talks stall in Istanbul
A Russian rocket artillery strike hit residential areas in the northeastern Ukrainian city of Sumy on Tuesday, June 3, killing at least three civilians and injuring several others, Ukrainian officials said. One rocket shell pierced the wall of a ninth-floor apartment but failed to explode. Emergency responders were still assisting victims at the time of this report.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the strike a deliberate attack on civilians. He said Russia’s ongoing bombardment of Ukrainian cities shows the need for greater international pressure on Moscow. He added that “not a single day goes by” without Russian forces launching attacks on Ukrainian towns and villages.
“It was a fully deliberate attack on civilians,” Zelenskyy wrote on X. “A rescue operation is currently underway. Many people have been wounded. As of now, three people have been confirmed dead. My condolences go out to their families and loved ones.”
What about Ukraine’s drone attack on Russia?
On Sunday, June 1, Ukraine launched a drone operation targeting Russian airbases across multiple regions. The attacks destroyed or damaged more than 40 military aircraft, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian forces carried out a long-range assault that struck targets across Russia, reaching as far as Siberia.
Zelenskyy praised the operation as “brilliant,” saying it aimed to weaken Russia’s capacity for future missile attacks. He added that the operation was also intended to compel Moscow toward diplomacy by forcing it to “feel what its losses mean.”
What did Ukraine and Russia propose during the June 2 talks?
Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on June 2 for their second round of direct talks in just over two weeks. While they agreed to transfer 6,000 fallen troops and form a commission to exchange seriously wounded prisoners, the talks yielded no progress on a ceasefire or broader peace deal.
Ukraine proposed a 30-day nationwide ceasefire. Russia countered with two- to three-day truces on specific fronts to recover the dead. Moscow also demanded that Ukraine pull back from Russian-occupied areas, freeze mobilization and end military aid from the West, terms Kyiv has repeatedly rejected.
Russia’s lead negotiator, Vladimir Medinsky, said they submitted a two-part memo: one section outlining steps toward peace, the other focused on ceasefire logistics. According to state media, the plan involves transferring the bodies, signing a ceasefire agreement with a set start date and then establishing a temporary truce.
Moscow also called for Ukraine to hold elections, form a new government and ratify a peace treaty through the United Nations Security Council. Ukrainian officials said they’ll review the proposal over the next week. A third round of talks will tentatively take place between June 20 and June 30.
Ella Rae Greene, Editor In Chief
